Notes / Commercial Description:
Jacob Spears, our 6th Great Grand Uncle, is credited as the first distiller to label his whiskey “Bourbon.” He built his distillery in Bourbon County Kentucky in 1790 — 203 years before we began brewing. While obviously a bit too late to produce Uncle Jacob’s wash, we’ve instead created something far more complex. In his honor, we present this robust, silky smooth, full-bodied and altogether extremely American rendition of an Imperial Stout aged for 6 months in the very finest Bourbon barrels. This explains a lot about our penchant for big brews! It’s in our blood!

Reviews by wagenvolks:

Quite the hefty beer, Uncle Jacob's pours with a near-unrivaled viscosity. Body is that of deep-brown pitch with a slim, yet stubborn head of taupe foam. Its nose brings forth big notes of cocoa nibs, vanilla, leather, dark fruit, and nuttiness. Bourbon is a bit subdued, as is the aroma itself, but the overall bouquet is still very much enticing.

The taste is expectantly sweet, but not without balance. Huge notes of dark chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, bourbon barrels, and dark berry fruits offset the intensity of the residual sugars and make for an entirely complex, yet enjoyable flavor profile. The alcohol is extraordinarily well-hidden within the creamy, chewy body. Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated and heavy on the tongue, but velvety smooth and decadent--think along the lines of a melted fudge-sicle. All in all, an excellent beer. Shows that Avery has both the drive to craft an 'Extreme' beer in this day & age, and yet the restraint and artistry to make it absolutely delicious.

More User Reviews:

Vintage Feb 4, 2014- I was not impressed with him fresh. Had 4 bottles and only drank one. The cellar holds an interesting array of developing brews, so these 3 were placed in a temperature appropriate setting (50f). Uncle took a one year nap.

I decided to awaken him, so rather than tickle under the chin: I popped the cap and poured a black, sweet smelling syrup into a snifter. The uncle said "[email protected] to Kentucky and any county that might produce bourbon. Colorado sh!ts better beer than you can make. " He presents himself sweeter and more bitter than the county locals.

So what if he is unbalanced? A little crazy is better than dull. His sugar is high, but damn if he will ever use insulin like a weakling... He will die sweet and bitter

He feels ready to stretch his legs after a year rest, so breaks into a bourbon fueled jog. Impossible to sprint with him, it's slow going. Sip after sip at his flask, he wearily reaches the county line.

He comes in a solid second, with the county local loping gracefully past him: honking like a goose and reminding Uncle of his huge cost. A year rest surely helped Uncle a great deal, another year for his 2 brothers dozing in the cellar before they try to do battle on the county. They may try to race on Black Tuesday, but lack the legs and lungs. Rather than compete, they mare retire to the realm of liqueur and leave beer world forever.

Cowabunga! Great beer to share with teammates after a Mud Run (4-11). Super dark, super sweet, significant ABV but never guess 16+. One of my less experienced teammates commented it was like chewing on a beer. It is a mouthful no doubt. Chocolate, coffee, dark plum sweet? mix works well together. Grab a couple of these if you can and let a couple sit on the shelf. Share with others if a big beer is too much for you.

Dark viscous liquid pours from the bottle and swirls into the snifter. The head on this is tremendous, only a finger and a half thick, but frothy and thick as a milk shake. It hardly dissipates with time, sitting triumphantly above the liquid. The dark khaki color resembles the foam of a cappuccino. 5

Jaysus. I fill immersed in a barrel of booze just smelling this. Oak, vanilla, spice and a dank tobacco aroma will punch you in your little sissy face with this. Caramel and chocolate play a distant second fiddle here. I can't help but me reminded of a chocolate shake with the aroma too, the more I search beyond the barrel properties. 4.25

I didn't expect anything less than an oaken, tobacco-heavy flavor and this brew pulls no punches. Bourbon flavors of spice and subtle solvent/booze offer some kick to the flavor. I wasn't expecting any coffee, as I don't recall that being a component of this beer and it didn't assert itself on the nose, but there's a definite dark roast coffee flavor that works well with the caramel and vanilla. Spicy hops hit at the finish. 4.25

Thick, creamy and low-carbonated, I'd classify this as syrupy for the most part. Thankfully the spice and slight booze keep it from being a cloying mess. The finish is roasty, sweet, and liqueur-like. 4.25

Quite a tasty beast. Like Tweak, this bears many similarities with Bourbon County and it's coffee variant, but again, it's the pricier version.

Pour is black. As dark as any beer I've had. One finger of soapy khaki head recedes to a thin collar with light patches of oily lace. Poured it fresh from the fridge so the aroma is a bit muted at first. As it warms, there are notes of dark fudge and vanilla accented by tobacco, leather, and plenty of bourbon.

The taste is dark semisweet chocolate, molasses, burnt caramel, and again, plenty of bourbon. Body is thick and chewy with enough creaminess to maintain a silky feel and coat the palate well. Would I call it smooth? No. But that's ok with me. I enjoy the occasional huge fire breathing beast. However, I feel like the flavors suffered from the intense alcohol heat. It masks some of the chocolatey goodness that seems to be lurking beneath the surface.

Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Although I believe I'd enjoy just about anything with this rocket fuel coursing through my veins. It's an intense stong sipper, and it excels in that regard. I felt like it didn't quite live up to its potential, but I won't pass it up if I see it again.

Bought a case from Shangy's in Emmaus Pennsylvania for $240 on March 10, 2015. Gave a bottle to Blane from Shangy's for spending two hours helping me. Finally tried it on March 22, 2015. Outstanding, but the high gravity, along with being just brewed, means it needs time to mellow out. One can tell that this beer will be to die for in a few years of aging.

This big boy was bottled on Feb 13, 2015 and cracked open on March 7, 2016. Poured from a bottle into a small Great Lakes snifter. The beer pours out very dark, but surprisingly I can see some light peeking through the very edge of the glass. Low carbonation and a crazy rich smell. I get bittersweet chocolate, cake batter, toasted oak, bourbon, vanilla, and a little dark fruit. Can't wait to sip this one...

Oh, Jesus Christ! It's like a cross between Goose Island BCBS and Dogfish Head WWS. Sweet malt, treacle, toffee, and burnt caramel up front. Loads of sweet flavors that are all held in check by the massive roasty bitterness from the malt, resulting in a rich chocolate liqueur flavor. After the initial onslaught of sweetness, a big wave of vanilla and toasted oak rush in. Surprisingly, I get more chocolate, toffee, and vanilla than I get bourbon. There's a big blast of alcohol warmth on the finish, but nothing that would suggest the incredibly high ABV of this brute. It's perfectly manageable and adds richness to the flavor.

Overall, pretty amazing stuff. I'm glad I let it sit for a little while and if I am fortunate enough to come across another bottle, I'll let it sit twice as long. Very pricy at $10 for a 12oz bottle, but worth it. This is not a beer I would want to drink every day, but I can easily see myself demolishing a bottle of this once a year. Oh God, yes!

EDIT: I decided to pick up a bottle after my initial tasting and can say that its really excellent and that was a bad keg for sure. Lots of Bourbon and plenty of nice boozy heat on it. My only knock is that the body is a bit thin for my taste, but otherwise its really excellent.

2016 on draft. Looks good, but the smell was lacking and the taste/ fell terribly flat.

There's minimal hints of the bourbon and almost no feel to this. I love Avery and have enjoyed other offerings including past batches so much that I wonder if this was a bad keg or possibly even something else.

So this is it. My 1000th beer on Beer Advocate. Not my 1000th beer in life but on this website for sure. Pretty amazing to have come this far in the world of beer. A quick rundown of important events that led me here:

I was young once (underage) and I drank 40s and Busch Light to get drunk. I turned 21 and got a job at a liquor store (Spec's). I befriended the head of the beer department, he taught me everything he knew about beer, he moved away, I became head of the beer department. I became friends with one of our beer sales reps and he gave me my first "alternative" beer. It was the Belgian beer Delirium Nocturnum. I was hooked! I became a Craft and Belgian beer salesman after that. A buddy gave me a homebrew kit for my 23rd birthday. I dabbled with brewing until it wrapped its loving arms around me and I got hooked. I've been brewing at least twice a month for some 6 years now. I volunteer at Thirsty Planet Brewing and me and my gal Amanda (my Corndog) are moving to Portland in 4 weeks so that I can pursue my passion for brewing professionally and hopefully one day start my own brewery.

Now for the review:

Pours black as ever, no light shines thru, a little bit of dark brown bubbles hanging out on top. The nose is milk chocolate, vanilla, bourbon in the background, caramel, just intense. Chocolate is the biggest player in the aroma. The taste....big sticky chocolate, bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate chip cookie, brown sugar with an accent of salt, very rich. Getting a little bit of alcohol burn in the finish but I'm surprised its masked so well. Its like 17%!!! Big ass body. Redonkulous.

Glad I could make this my 1000th beer on this great site. I have been a fan of Avery since I knew what craft beer was and they never disappoint. Cheers everyone and happy brewing/drinking!!!

Poured from 12oz bottle into a snifter glass. Served around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Look - I hate this category. It looks like a stout should look, black with a small tan head.

Smell - Smells like molasses, chocolate and a hint of bourbon. I dock it some points because the sweetness of the smell made me worry about what the taste would be like.

Taste - I shouldn't have worried because this is awesome. Starts with a mix of chocolate and molasses. One of the few stouts that you can taste a little malt in. No bitterness to speak of except for a slight burn as the last taste in your mouth (before you quickly take another sip). the bourbon is mild compared to many BA offerings I have tried but it blends with the flavors magnificently and cuts through the sweetness just enough. Outstanding.

Feel - Creamy with a slight carbonation. 9/10 on the thickness scale. But easy to down quickly, although not ideal.

Overall - Excellent beer. Nobody does a huge Stout better than Avery and this proves it yet again.

Been holding this in my cellar for about 9 months. Poured into my trusty Stone tulip glass.

Dark as night.
Strong smell of bourbon, dark fruits and a bit of coffee. Very much like BCBS.
Taste follows smell. Warming comes with that 17%! Lovely mixture of bourbon, dark fruits and coffee.
Sticky and coating mouthfeel.

This is best described as a cross between BCBS and World Wide Stout. A real slow-sipper for a cold night at home. Great stuff!

The beer pours with a highly viscous and creamy weight. Jet black in color and completely opaque, the beer is heavy headed with a dense mocha froth that piles on top. Extreme persistence in its foam stance, the beer laces remarkably, especially for its high alcohol and barrel character.

Powerful seduction of aromas radiate from the rim of the snifter with a collage make up with rich Belgian chocolate, espresso, light smoke, cake batter, sherry wine, bourbon alcohol, and a dash of worcestershire sauce. The complex scent is highly appetizing and ooh so savory.

Flavors follow with even more strength and complexity than those of the nose. A lust creamy taste of brownies, espresso and black-strap molasses command its robust taste. But then other savory notes of sherry, port, mesquite, and light soy sauce offer a sultry, savory, almost meaty taste that you can really sink your teeth into.

The beer coats the mouth like heavy whipping cream because of its proportions and viscosity. But with the bolder, roastier taste, the stout remains lush, velvety and silky in body. The beer's taste and texture linger infinitely on the palate with strong alcohol warmth and evading any unnecessary burn. Finishing malty-sweet, the palate is rewarded as well as with the most savory of desserts.

This stout weaves together its web of tastes seamlessly and provocatively. Its truly seductive to the taste buds and easily makes you forget about its power- an absolutely devilish stout!

Incredible beer. Pitch black with a khaki lace-leaving head. Smell is out of this world. Chocolate, bourbon, dark fruits. Taste lives up to the hype of the smell. Perfect mouthfeel. One of the better beers I have ever had.

12oz bottle of Batch 1, bottled March 27, 2012. Given to me as a gift from my little brother. Poured into a Surly Darkness goblet today, March 19, 2014. So approximately two years of age. I've had small pours of the fresh versions a few months ago, and will be taking that into consideration.

App- Pitch black, oily, viscous and with a LOT of legs. Even with a vertical pour, it comes with a minimal half finger mocha head with minimal retention. No lacing. A very placid stout, but again, one with a lot of legs.

Flavour- Reminds me a lot of the 2009 Bourbon County Brand Stout I had just two weeks ago. Very sweet still, perhaps sweeter than BCBS. Thick chocolate fudge, sweet bourbon, a lot of barrel vanilla and oak. Molasses. The intense fudginess that makes this a sipper. No indication of oxidation or off flavours at all, which is surprising in a 2-year old cellared stout.

Mouthfeel- Thick bodied, on the verge of syrupy. Just enough carbonation. Drinks even thicker than BCBS. Heat is not apparent when cold, but as the beer warms up, there is a burning hot finish as it goes down, as expected for a high gravity stout like this.

Overall- Very good BA stout that's very welcome on a March day where winter just won't go away.. and well, I'm hoping that I am able to move to Colorado in a few months, so it's one of Colorado's finest for tonight! It's up there in the BCBS territory in terms of quality, only it costs 3x as much as a single bottle of BCBS and is a lot harder to get in comparison to the distribution BCBS gets. So while I enjoyed this, I wouldn't go out of my way to get this when I can stock up on BCBS. Regardless, my conclusion is that Batch 1 at 2 years is drinking very well right now. Essentially covers the middle ground between BCBS and Black Tuesday in my opinion.

LOOK: dark black, small tan head.
AROMA: bourbon, brown sugar, blackberry, cocoa.
TASTE: like most barrel aged Avery, this is alcohol forward. After you get past the burn there is coffee, dark fruit, cocoa. Finish us more rum, brandy, and of course bourbon.
FEEL: Medium body, good carbonation for a heavy stout. A Touch of astringency.

Really nice barrel aged stout. On par with Tweak. Could benefit from being smoother. Feels too hot, like a cheap young whiskey, even though bottle is almost a year old.

There's a reason this is one of the top 250 beers on BA. 2013 vintage consumed while in line for Out of the Emptiness by Tied Hands. The best stout I've had from Avery. Super think, chewy, chocolate, barrel, toffee deliciousness. Paid a pretty penny for it, but it was worth the labor to purchase it. Unreal!

are you kidding me? a beer could not be any bigger! new one from avery. pours espresso colored with a short espresso colored head that fades right out. looks like the consistency of black tar. smells less like coffee, but its still present, ground fresh and strong. like a woody liquor, oak for sure in the nose, with robust booze, tobacco, and black licorice notes, even a whack of fresh coconut, runny warm caramel, and sludgy espresso. the alcoholic burn in the nose more or less gives away the huge abv. the flavor though is less straight booze. very sweet, i taste the bourbon now, a very alive concoction. other flavors introduce themselves one by one... first is toffee sweetness, melting into a marshmallowy alcoholic thing, which is followed by a cigar-like fresh tobacco stickiness. feel is epic too, straight woody spirits leave a deep burn. the almost nonexistant carbonation and syrupy heavy body make it last on the teeth, almost unpleasantly in a raw sugary way. so so smooth though it demands high ratings. foaming in the mouth and ever larger, meliora! overall a pretty absurd beer from the most inconsistent brewery in the country. its one of the most massive beers of all time as far as im concerned. thanks beer gods for this masterpiece!

Look - black as a moonless night
Smell - heavy alcohol, bourbon, vanilla, roasted aromas.
Taste - This is one VERY big beer - sip too early after opening and the alcohol is overwhelming. Given a moment to breathe it hits great roasted notes that are well rounded by the caramel and vanilla flavors from the barrel. A hint of toasted almond flavor makes this a truly exceptional brew.
Mouthfeel - luscious but not too thick - flows almost too easily and coats the tongue without being cloying.
Overall - patience will be a virtue with this beer. Drinks very well now (as long as it's given ample time to breathe) but given a year or more develops into something truly spectacular. Probably my favorite bourbon barrel aged stout.

A - pours black, light khaki head with some variation in bubbles, some bubble clusters. As head slowly disapates, leaves a layer of champagne-sized bubble leggings. 4

S - Smells great, caramelly with some booze. Honestly smells like a Bourbon County Stout. 4.5

T - syrupy, boozy and sweet, but very pleasant. I want to talk about the taste of the roast malt, but I can't pick up any. No coffee, no chocolate, just sweet and boozy but somehow makes that delicious. 5

M - Thick, like a girl with a fat ass. Sticky, but relatively clean mouthful and surprisingly little burn for a beer that clocks in at 17.1% 5

O - I'll be damned if this isn't the finest example of a bourbon barrel aged stout. It's awesome and there's no indication of it being 17%+. It doesn't taste anywhere near that hot. It's now up there with Bourbon County and West Sixth's snakecake in my top 3 Bourbon barrel aged beers. 5